


Crumbling Empires

by Kingofree



Series: Wine and Guitars [2]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Gen, Past Character Death, Rome is Romulus, a little character study, university/street performer au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:07:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29170080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kingofree/pseuds/Kingofree
Summary: If only the world worked on should have beens.
Series: Wine and Guitars [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2141400
Kudos: 11





	Crumbling Empires

He should have been retired. Romulus Vargas was at an age now where he should have been able to hand the empire he’d built off to his daughter, or his daughter’s husband if she really didn’t want it. He should have been traveling the world seducing beautiful women and drinking wine. The privilege of being nonno meant he could swoop in and make his grandson’s lives bright for a while, shower them in gifts, and not have to worry about whether they went to bed on time or got good grades or got into fights. 

If only the world worked on should have beens. 

Romulus swirled the wine in his glass. A gleaming carignan that sat sour on his tongue. Upstairs slept his two cute little grandsons, exhausted from the day’s somber events. He’d tucked them in an hour ago, Lovino curled protectively around his baby brother in the toddler bed. He hoped they had a peaceful sleep with sweet dreams full of happier times.

The rest of the glass thrown back, Romulus refilled it bleakly. He loved Italy, loved his home and his family. He’d planned to visit it frequently in between flying to new exotic places and trying new things in retirement. He hadn’t wanted to visit so soon and for such a terrible reason though. He hadn’t wanted to bury his daughter and her husband. 

She should have outlived him. 

That’s how it worked, right? The children outlive their parents and prosper, and the old men of the world can pass on peacefully knowing their legacy is in good hands. Old men didn’t come back home to raise their grandsons because of a stupid senseless crime. They didn’t go down to a morgue to identify bodies and they didn’t explain death to little boys who are much too young to be without a mama now. 

He refilled the glass again.

Should have, would have, could have, but didn’t. That was the world. It didn’t care what you thought things should be like. Things just were and you had to do your best to live with that. Do your best to move forward and be there for those who were left. He had to be here for his grandsons now. With their parents gone, he was all that was left of their family. He had to be there for them so they could grow and thrive and maybe one day he’d hand the empire off to one of them. 

Weary mahogany eyes closed, the half drunk glass settled beside him on the table. The bottle was empty now, so there wouldn’t be a refill after this. He couldn’t afford the oblivion wine would give him when two little boys needed him awake and alert in the early morning. Feliciano was an early, loud, riser and Lovino had a habit of wetting the bed that often woke his parents up in the night. They’d asked him for advice only a month ago. He wondered if they’d taken it. 

The creak of the old kitchen door drew his eyelids up and for a brief moment he was a younger man in a newer kitchen and the hazel eyes peering at him were framed by long fluffy bangs. Little feet shuffling into the kitchen broke the illusion and his grandson’s grumpy scowl met him instead of his daughter’s sunny smile. 

“Nonno a squirrel went potty in my sleep pants so I left them in the bathroom.” The small voice was hoarse, probably from all the crying he’d done before falling asleep. 

Romulus pushed himself to his feet and smiled. “That’s okay Lovi, Nonno can get you some new pants. Did the squirrel potty in the bed too?” The tiny head shake was reassuring and when those chubby little arms came up demandingly, he lifted his grandson onto his hip and headed for the bathroom. 

It should have been his daughter taking her son to get cleaned up. It should have been the boy’s father finding new pajama pants. Romulus himself should have been blissfully asleep on some tropical beach dreaming of all the fun things he’d be able to tell his grandsons about when he visited them next. 

If only the world worked on should have beens. 

**Author's Note:**

> A little look into Rome/Romulus as a character in this series. This is right after the funeral for Lovino and Feliciano's parents. Right now I'm leaning toward them dying in a home invasion gone wrong but I haven't settled. The empire is the Vargas wine business.


End file.
